Did we ever get an explanation for Vahlen's actions?

[Green Raven]

The world is collapsing around her and she decides to build a trio of organic superweapons... why???

[Narrowmind]

I think it's obviously insanity.

[Amanoob105]

Because she's the sort of person that can't say "no" when it's something she had an interest with.
Not simple insanity, but obsession. For most it would be enough to theorise if it could work, but for her it's not 'done' unless its 'been done'.

For her, when it comes to pushing the boundaries of knowledge there is no such thing as enough or too far. When you're neck deep in "how it could be better" it can be very hard to take a set back and think "how it could all go wrong".

[.O.]

she's a scientist, she cares more about the science than about anything else.

[Valvatorez(Cox Cable = awful ISP]

Lily says it in own logs that she's pretty much a wack job without The Commander's influence.

[Dragon32]

From
Steam\SteamApps\common\XCOM 2\XCom2-WarOfTheChosen\XComGame\DLC\DLC_2\Localization\DLC_60_SoundSpeechTacticalVahlen.int

While attempting to salvage materials from what appeared to be a totally inert storage system, I made an astonishing discovery - a single cryostasis unit remained intact and occupied. This changes everything.

With three unique, viable embryos recovered from the surviving cryostasis unit, I now have a rare opportunity - one never afforded to me during my time with XCOM. I am free to pursue a research directive of my own choosing.

Though I am certain some of my prior colleagues at XCOM would find the nature of my work here unsettling, I must persevere. I have no doubt these creatures would one day reach maturity regardless of my intentions. Left here alone, the results could have been disastrous. With my guidance, at the very least I am preventing a potential catastrophe

There's also some subtitles for lines I haven't heard

[talemore]

Because Bradford said: I say this is a victory in my book.
Then this is my headcanon: Vahlen left Xcom after the base assault.

Vahlen: of course this isn't the end of the invasion, even if Bradford think so.

Then we have the case that The commander choosed the Shen-project.

And Vahlen's hope for supermutants was scrapped. Instead the Advent M.E.C came to be
a part of Advent after xcom fell. The Advent M.E.C is the official xcom M.E.C because of
The commander choosed the Shen-project and Shen created the Advent M.E.C who was first known as the SPARK. Xcom returned to the SPARK model in chimera squad while many advent-designed are still in service. SPARK was also the first human-made A.I

So not only wasn't Vahlen unable to achieve her goals but her career took a turn and she likely joined advent by the cause that xcom wasn't around. Advent wasn't always fighting for the aliens.
Advent was an army created by politicans, the reason why xcom2 earth wasn't destroyed is because advent defeated the aliens. But they thought to create trade with the aliens and some part of this elite of politicans are still around as chimera squad is about a project to make a community of aliens and humans. Advent was assimilated between xcom and xcom2 in the great deception where people thought advent was human. Infiltration units had replaced all the leaders and eventually entire Advent.

Advent doesn't use alien alloy because advent never used alien alloy, the alloy used by advent isn't based on alien knowledge but research from humans and the reason why humans are even needed in advent.

[Amanoob105]

Originally posted by talemore:

Because Bradford said: I say this is a victory in my book.
Then this is my headcanon: Vahlen left Xcom after the base assault.

Vahlen: of course this isn't the end of the invasion, even if Bradford think so.

Then we have the case that The commander choosed the Shen-project.

And Vahlen's hope for supermutants was scrapped. Instead the Advent M.E.C came to be
a part of Advent after xcom fell. The Advent M.E.C is the official xcom M.E.C because of
The commander choosed the Shen-project and Shen created the Advent M.E.C who was first known as the SPARK. Xcom returned to the SPARK model in chimera squad while many advent-designed are still in service. SPARK was also the first human-made A.I

So not only wasn't Vahlen unable to achieve her goals but her career took a turn and she likely joined advent by the cause that xcom wasn't around. Advent wasn't always fighting for the aliens.
Advent was an army created by politicans, the reason why xcom2 earth wasn't destroyed is because advent defeated the aliens. But they thought to create trade with the aliens and some part of this elite of politicans are still around as chimera squad is about a project to make a community of aliens and humans. Advent was assimilated between xcom and xcom2 in the great deception where people thought advent was human. Infiltration units had replaced all the leaders and eventually entire Advent.

Advent doesn't use alien alloy because advent never used alien alloy, the alloy used by advent isn't based on alien knowledge but research from humans and the reason why humans are even needed in advent.

Your headcannon missed one important piece of information.

Xcom lost the war. There was no victory for any humans (that didn't switch sides).

From what we can tell, it also happened before Xcom got the chance to even start doing anything with meld, so neither of the two Doctors got their way on that note.

[Von Faustien]

Originally posted by Amanoob105:

Originally posted by talemore:

Because Bradford said: I say this is a victory in my book.
Then this is my headcanon: Vahlen left Xcom after the base assault.

Vahlen: of course this isn't the end of the invasion, even if Bradford think so.

Then we have the case that The commander choosed the Shen-project.

And Vahlen's hope for supermutants was scrapped. Instead the Advent M.E.C came to be
a part of Advent after xcom fell. The Advent M.E.C is the official xcom M.E.C because of
The commander choosed the Shen-project and Shen created the Advent M.E.C who was first known as the SPARK. Xcom returned to the SPARK model in chimera squad while many advent-designed are still in service. SPARK was also the first human-made A.I

So not only wasn't Vahlen unable to achieve her goals but her career took a turn and she likely joined advent by the cause that xcom wasn't around. Advent wasn't always fighting for the aliens.
Advent was an army created by politicans, the reason why xcom2 earth wasn't destroyed is because advent defeated the aliens. But they thought to create trade with the aliens and some part of this elite of politicans are still around as chimera squad is about a project to make a community of aliens and humans. Advent was assimilated between xcom and xcom2 in the great deception where people thought advent was human. Infiltration units had replaced all the leaders and eventually entire Advent.

Advent doesn't use alien alloy because advent never used alien alloy, the alloy used by advent isn't based on alien knowledge but research from humans and the reason why humans are even needed in advent.

Your headcannon missed one important piece of information.

Xcom lost the war. There was no victory for any humans (that didn't switch sides).

From what we can tell, it also happened before Xcom got the chance to even start doing anything with meld, so neither of the two Doctors got their way on that note.

the fall of xcom has to be after the alien base assult becasue Xcom had an active psionic program when it fell as shown by the templar leader bio stating he was a early product of the Xcom psionic program that escaped when the base got wrecked. its been a while since i played EW but i think meld gets introduced before you storm the alien base and fight the sectoid commander.

[Shodan's husband]

Vahlen wanted to have a romantic relationship with the Commanding Officer ( --> the Commander) but when the Commander left her to talk to the Elders and fight for them for a while Vahlen was utterly devasted and heartbroken. Her heart was cut in two! To calm her sobbing nerves and to mend her cleanly cut and broken heart she decided to build her own 3 plush toys; a nice little viper king plush toy that she can wrap around her legs when shes cold at night, a big and burly berserker queen to remind her of the Commanding Officer's physical prowess and stamina, and a crazy little archon king to remind her of the Commanding Officers freak nature. The archon king she wanted to use as a pillow when she needed to cry into a pillow cause her broken heart was still broken.

That's the moment she accidentally created those 3 Ruler-Monsters. She wanted plush toys but then one mistake led to another mistake. Many mistakes were made actually. But it all started with Vahlen's significant romantic interest in the Commanding Officer. As a hard man of direct action and brutal wars the Commanding Officer had no interest in any kind of romance though. All he wanted is to wage bloody wars against tyrannical alien-monster-invaders. That's basically all the Commanding Officer is interested in. That's how Vahlen kinda lost her mind and started to try and build plush toys but she failed horribly and created yet more monsters.

It all started with the Commanding Officer rejecting Vahlen's romantic interest though. That's where this tragedy had its origin.

Check xcom 2 wiki, you will find the story about the Commanding Officer and Vahlen there.

It all started with unrequited love.

[Zeonista]

Dr. Vahlen was XCOM's Dr. Frankenstein. She really liked researching the aliens that the soldiers dragged back both dead and alive. Isn't that right, EU/EW veterans? :D Getting to raise and research aliens of her own was a temptation she couldn't resist.